The present invention relates to data storage and power supply accessories for devices that process data, including but not limited to, digital cameras and personal digital assistants.
Portable digital devices such as digital cameras and personal digital assistants (PDAs) have revolutionized the capture of information and its movement across the Internet. Digital cameras capture images in extremely high resolution and store those images in a format that can be rapidly transferred without degrading quality. PDAs provide access to a palm size computer to perform simple tasks, such as storing phone numbers, as well as more complicated tasks, such as logging onto the Internet and downloading files from remote processors.
The extraordinary ability of these portable devices to process information comes at the price of significant power and memory consumption. The problem of power consumption is more apparent with digital cameras than PDAs. Digital cameras often use a flash. Digital cameras typically also consume significant computing power, hence significant electrical power, to process data-heavy images. When a digital camera or PDA exhausts its power-source, the user must replace or replenish the power source in order to continue operating the portable device. Some portable devices may be recharged, but many digital cameras and PDAs still require batteries that cannot be recharged. Thus, users must frequently locate and purchase new batteries for the portable device.
Some portable devices use interchangeable memory storage devices such as flash memory or removable hard disks to store data collected by those portable devices. However, one byproduct of such removable memory is that the batteries for the portable device are frequently depleted before the removable memory storage device is filled. Such depletion is inconvenient for the user and can interfere with his or her use of the portable digital device. Further, the need to switch batteries as well as memory storage devices leads to the need to have a number of different storage media on hand, and the concomitant need for some kind of organizer or the like to ensure that those media are accessible and that they are not lost. Such a need to carry storage media and media organizers obviates the convenience of the portable digital device.
Embodiments of the present invention relate to data storage and power supply accessories for devices that process data, including, but not limited to, digital cameras and PDAs.
In one aspect of a preferred embodiment, a storage device includes both a data storage unit and a power supply. The data storage unit of the storage device is adapted to connect to a device to which data is sent and/or from which data is received, such as a digital camera or PDA. The power supply of the storage device provides primary power to the device to which it is connected. By combining the data storage unit and the power supply, battery replacement is obviated, and downtime of the device is reduced.
In another aspect of a preferred embodiment, a reader is provided for connecting to the storage device and reading data from and/or transmitting data to the data storage unit of the storage device. The reader is also adapted to recharge the power supply of the storage device.